India
17-year-old held after Kochi crash kills rider
The Indian Express·
A 56-year-old two-wheeler rider was killed in Ernakulam early Sunday after a car allegedly driven by a 17-year-old rammed his vehicle at Cheranallor. Police identified the victim as Jayabalakrishnan, returning home after closing his eatery. Cheranallor police registered a case under BNS sections 106(1) and 281. The boy, son of a Thrissur additional district judge, was taken into custody.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Police are checking vehicle-owner liability and awaiting a medical report on whether the minor had consumed alcohol.
- Relatives alleged the judicial officer intervened and that the minor lacked a valid driving licence.
- A 2024 Kerala High Court ruling allows guardian or owner prosecution under Motor Vehicles Act section 199A in juvenile driving cases.
What's Happening
- The crash occurred under Kochi city police limits in the early hours of Sunday.
- Jayalakshmi, a relative, alleged the judge told the family not to question his son at the station.
- Police said they removed the car from the spot while completing procedures, a step the family disputed.
What the family and police say next
- Section 199A can carry imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of Rs 25,000 for a guardian or owner.
- Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas held in 2024 that 199A proceedings do not require a prior Juvenile Justice Act finding.
- The case turns on both the crash investigation and any separate liability of the vehicle's guardian or owner.
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